Fall For You
by CtrlAltFngrl
Summary: Sakura thinks she's never going to see Sasuke again, despite what Naruto thinks. Fate, however, thinks differently. SasuSaku.
1. Love Is A Battlefield

**Disclaimer: Um. Nope. No ownage here. At least not of Naruto. Which I should probably be glad for, since MAN would I hate to be Kishimoto right about now. (Because like hi, angry fangirls much?)**

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'_It's almost like someone hates me,' _Sakura thought dryly, taking a once-familiar path. After all, if any sort of higher being had been on her side, she would have paid more attention to the place she was going to instead of just looking at the path she needed to take to get there, she would have listened to her gut feeling that overtook her when she was experiencing the déjà vu while heading towards her mission.

She should have looked harder at her mission statement, but she hadn't, and now fate was taking her back to the place where it all began.

The Land of Waves.

**-x-**

Sakura had barely walked past the gates that led into the flourishing town before life decided to continue its sick little joke on her.

People were brushing past her, chatting happily, and the scene was so incredibly different from the one she experienced four years ago that she couldn't stop herself from smiling. Sakura reveled in others happiness, because she enjoyed seeing happy people.

Looking around, she felt the grin widen. This tiny town had certainly prospered since she had last seen it, and for that she was glad; seeing people miserable made herself feel horrible.

When she focused her attention ahead, it was then that she saw him. It was with a slow, purposeful, graceful gait, one that few people could ever accomplish. For one heart-stopping moment, it could have been a twelve-year old Sasuke looking at her again…until he caught her gaze and smiled, and agony ripped through her, rising up like heat, choking her and causing her eyes to mist.

Sasuke _never _smiled at her.

"Sakura-san." The boy said, and when she blinked the illusion of Sasuke was gone, leaving nothing but pain in its wake. Then again, Sasuke was synonymous with that accursed word.

"How do you know my name?" Sakura decided to focus on the here and now, instead of thinking about everything that used to be. It would not do to think about her past, one that was long dead and mostly buried. She refused to let her demons haunt her, even in the town that created the bond of friendship between them, with the only two boys who had ever mattered to her.

"I'm Tazuna's grandson." He replied, and the name drudged up the image of an old man, of a girl with long-pink holding his hand, a bridge. _(Needles, needles everywhere and oh god oh god oh god his skin is cold. "SASUKE-KUN!" Tears. Endless tears, because somewhere deep inside a heart was breaking. Another was beating. "Sakura…get off, you're heavy."_)

"Ah! Inari, right?" He nodded and grinned. "Man, how old are you now?"

"Ten." He looked old for his age. _(And an awful lot like Sasuke-kun, but those thoughts were forbidden. Not here, not now. She was done with her tears for him.)_

"Grandpa wants to see you. He heard you were coming to the village, so…" Well, Tsunade-shishou _had _given her three days to complete the mission--which was simple, to collect herbs, because the Hokage believed Sakura deserved a break--so she supposed she could go visit the old man. After all, it wouldn't hurt to amuse him.

**-x-**

Tazuna did not look that much older; more lines creased his face, but the wild gray hair, the glasses, and the smile that was always quick to light his face was the same.

Inari's mother greeted Sakura with a warm hug that reminded the medic-nin of her own kaa-chan, back in Konoha and probably making dinner for her father.

"Sakura-san!" Tazuna got up to greet her and also gave her a bone-crushing hug, but it felt good. _(It felt like all of the memories Sakura would never be able to get back.) _"How are you?"

"I'm good." Sakura replied with a smile, thanking Inari's mother when she placed a bowl of rice in front of her. Sakura hadn't realized how famished she was until she smelled the food in front of her. Perhaps she should have eaten on her way there…still, she had made good timing, and for that she was thankful. "How are you?"

"Oh, great! Things are really shaping up around here!" He was beaming, obviously happy with how his little town was growing without Gatou threatening to destroy everything they knew, and he began to tell tales of what had happened since the last time Sakura had been here. Sakura ate and nodded along, graciously accepting another bowl as Inari's mother placed bowls for everyone else as well. Occasionally Inari would chime in, and his grin was so alike to a younger Naruto's that it sent a pang of nostalgia through Sakura, though this time it didn't hurt. Naruto had been the reason Sakura was able to keep her sanity, the one person she relied heavily on. Even when he was away training, Naruto was always right there with her in presence, in every time she went to Ichiraku or passed Iruka-sensei on the street.

"So how are Naruto, Sasuke, and that sensei of yours?" Sakura choked on her rice and all three of them looked at her in concern, Inari pushing a glass of water towards her, which she accepted.

She knew she should not have come here.

"Naruto and…Sasuke-kun…are away, training." There. That should appease them. _(But it was only half-truth and more of a lie. She did not know where Sasuke was. Did not know what Sasuke was doing. She did not even know who he was anymore.) _"Kakashi-sensei is usually away on missions, though I see him every once in a while."

"That's right, you're a medic nin, aren't you?" The only woman in the household besides herself addressed Sakura, smiling, and the roseate-haired female nodded and smiled. "That must be a challenge."

"Ah," Sakura said, smiling softly, "it is, but I love what I do more than anything. I wouldn't have had it any other way."

"I'm sure the boys are glad you're not usually out on the battlefield," Tazuna told her, laughing. "After all, they seemed very protective of you."

Sakura smiled sadly. "Yeah."

_Seemed_, she thought, _being the keyword in this discussion. _

Or, at least, when it came to Sasuke. But then again, didn't _everything _in her life lead her back to him?

**-x-**

Of course, Sakura absolutely _had _to stay the night. They knew it was too dark out, and didn't want her wandering out by herself so late. Sakura couldn't say no to their hopeful smiles, so she agreed, and Inari's mother led her to a room that brought back so memories.

Walking in, the room hadn't changed. Sakura could still envision the futon where Kakashi-sensei had laid to recuperate after he overused his Sharingan in the fight with Zabuza and Haku. A futon was exactly where it had been four years ago, except now _she'd _be the one lying it.

And she was alone. Can't forget about that.

"Good night, Sakura-san!" Sakura smiled and bid the other woman a good night, stripped herself of her clothes minus her black shorts she wore beneath her skirt and her mesh shirt, underneath which was a black tank top.

And then she laid down and fell even wider awake.

**-x-**

'_Did I, like, kick kittens in a past life or something?' _Because _really_, this was going too far.

The ground where she was supposed to pick herbs was right near the Great Naruto Bridge.

Fate must have been having a field day with her.

Sighing, Sakura closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to ignore the structure before her. After all, it brought up too many memories, too many days of when she had still been useless Sakura, good for nothing more than protecting their charge and being nothing more than a nuisance--a _hindrance, extra baggage_--to the team.

Sakura's eyes flew open, pupils dilated with anger. _Never again_ she swore. She _refused _to go back to that girl she had been. She would _not _be one of Sasuke's stupid, bimbo fangirls. She would not degrade herself that way.

She nodded to herself, though no one could see her doing it, her resolve strengthening. She needed to remember the rule she had once disregarded blatantly: a shinobi never shows their feelings, no matter what the circumstances. Feelings are a weakness that only clouds their judgment and weakens their sense of duty.

Shinobi rule twenty-five, one of the most important.

No longer would she let things that had happened in the past smother her, choke her, cause her to slump over and be defeated, to be weighed down with the agony that the mere _remembrance _of this town brought to her.

And it was all _his _fault.

No. She would prove that she was strong. That she didn't need him anymore, in any way, shape, or form.

Uchiha Sasuke had no control over her life any longer.

**-x-**

By some kind of miracle, Sakura managed to allow Tazuna and co. to accept the fact that she preferred to sleep in a hotel--albeit a not-too-great one--rather than at their hut. Tazuna asked, only once, while he peered suspiciously at her, if anything had happened regarding their team, if there was something she was trying to avoid, but Sakura had merely smiled and uttered a simple, "Nope." He had let the matter lie, not pressuring her, but Sakura could tell he didn't believe her.

Not like it mattered, not when she was leaving today.

She spent the day watching Tazuna build more things, usually parts of houses and such, wandering around town with Inari while he talked about everything he liked, about what he didn't like, about his schooling, and that was nice, that somewhere out there existed a life that didn't include life or death situations or never truly being able to sleep or blood-stained hands. She also spent it with Tazuna's daughter--Inari's mother, of course--helping to clean the hut and wash the dishes while the woman chattered on, and the other female almost reminded Sakura of Ino, back home and probably out eating with her team, keeping a firm eye on Chouji in case he started to choke. The thought brought a smile to her face.

Finally, though, it was time to leave. Sakura firmly hugged everyone goodbye--and this time, there was no team beside her, no crying Naruto--and left the quaint little town that was everything and yet nothing like she remembered.

Unfortunately, Sakura had gotten off to a late start--talking to Inari's mother took longer than she realized--so she knew she'd have to settle out into the forest to sleep. Which didn't bother her, being so close to Konoha, but she was annoyed at herself for not leaving earlier.

Perhaps there were some feelings she could just not let go of.

Sakura started a fire, brought out the rice in a container Inari's mother had graciously packed for her, and then, when done with that, she put that away, dragged out her sleeping bag, laid down, and then stared up at the stars.

_This_, at least, was something she would never tire of, would never _not _enjoy, simply because looking at the stars brought her an inner peace like few things could. Sakura couldn't name what she particularly enjoyed about it, only knowing that it, the stars, was just so beautiful.

She felt happy and warm, and that caused her to feel tired. After all, it _had _been a long three days, and the journey back had exhausted her. She had amazing stamina and chakra control, of course, but shinobi were human, too. They got tired just as quickly as any other person did.

Yawning, Sakura rolled over onto her side, closing her eyes. The fire would burn out by itself; it was big enough to reach the tree limbs or hurt her, in any case. It wasn't big at all, actually, just a soft, soothing warmth that radiated through her. Sakura smiled and fell asleep.

She was jerked awake by a crackling, and for one drowsy minute, thought that her calculations had been incorrect, that the fire really _had _been big enough and the fire was beginning to spread. But no, everything around her was dark. The fire was out.

Sakura stiffened, but relaxed slightly when she felt no chakra around besides herself. It had probably just been a squirrel; after all, she _was _in a forest, it was teeming with wildlife.

That was before she felt the presence, and before her ninja skills could kick in, Sharingan eyes blazed before her very eyes.

_Sasuke. _

The tomoe began to spin and connect, and against her will, Sakura's world turned to black. Her last thought was, _'Yep, _definitely _kicked a kitten.'_

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**A/N--So I wrote all of this in one night. GO ME! (Except not really, because I was supposed to be writing a History essay that is supposed to be 5-8 paragraphs, and due first thing tomorrow morning. I wonder if my teacher will accept the fact that I was mauled by the plotbunnies. They are **_**vicious**_** creatures, man.) And Sakura's last thought is pertaining to the fact that life, fate, a higher being, ect ect hate her. If you've read this far, congratulations! You win a muffin. If you've read this, put BECCA RULES in your review. Because, you know, reviews are life. And don't lie, you want that muffin.**


	2. Where It All Starts

**Disclaimer: Please refer back to chapter one for a disclaimer. If for some reason you are unable to do that, well…sucks for you, doesn't it?  
**

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Sasuke allowed the Sharingan to fade out of his eyes as he approached the slumped figure of his former teammate. He vaguely recalled his reunion with her at the Sound base, but he had been more focused on Naruto and hadn't paid all that much attention to her, except for when she charged at him.

Therefore, he took the time to study her clinically, impersonally, and only out of mild curiosity. She was taller and more filled-out, which was to be expected, but she had changed in ways that he hadn't expected her to. Her hair was choppily cut, almost wild, and it seemed lighter, as if bleached by long days spent in the sun. He thought distantly that it might even pass for pale blond or white in dim lighting (and perhaps from far away; but no matter what, Sakura would _always _have that pink hair she was known for). The baby fat that had softened her face three years ago was all but gone, making her cheekbones stand out more prominently.

As he knelt down beside her, he saw that her arms and legs were still slender, but toned now, as well as tanned, further making him believe that she'd been spending long amounts of times in the sun during his absence. It briefly occurred to him that Sakura had grown up, possibly even moved on. Sasuke easily dismissed the notion; Sakura was Sakura, the childish, naïve girl that he had known as a genin, the last person in the world cut out to be a shinobi.

That might have been what prompted him to slide her out of her sleeping bag and into his arms. Sasuke admitted to himself that when he formulated his plan for Konoha's destruction, Sakura had been a variable that he wasn't sure of. While his hatred for the Elders had spread to include all of Konoha's shinobi, Sakura…it was like he had known all along: Sakura was not a true shinobi, not a kunoichi. She was weak and defenseless, guaranteed to be one of the first slaughtered. Sakura, while annoying and a hindrance, didn't deserve that.

This presented an ideal opportunity to solve the dilemma: if Sasuke's took her now and kept her away from Konoha until he had succeeded in bringing upon its downfall, he could just let her go afterwards and that would be that. And so, with one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders, he alighted to the trees and sped back to where he had left Suigetsu and the rest, but not before casting a jutsu to burn all of Sakura's things to ashes, thus destroying all clues as to Sakura's whereabouts.

As he jumped from tree limb to tree limb, he noticed that her hair smelled of rosemary and mint.

**-x-**

When Karin alerted Juugo and Suigetsu that Sasuke's chakra was approaching, as well as the muted, dormant presence of an unconscious shinobi, Suigetsu wasn't sure what to think. About half an hour earlier they had been returning from a scouting mission when Karin had felt a lone chakra signature near them. Sasuke had departed by himself to go check it out, and was clearly now returning—but _with _the (now unconscious) person that Karin had sensed?

Suigetsu frowned and waited for Sasuke to appear visually. When their team leader did, Suigetsu's eyes widened, as did Karin's and Juugo's. In Sasuke's arms was a pink-haired kunoichi wearing a Konoha forehead-protector. What Suigetsu found most surprising was that Sasuke carried her as if…as if it came naturally to him, as if it—maybe even the girl herself—was familiar to him. Also, Sasuke's grip on her, while far from gentle, was careful, mindful. But who _was _she?

Karin beat him to voicing the question aloud. "Who is _that_?" she asked distastefully, her suspicion-laden gaze resting on the pink-haired girl.

Sasuke shot her a chilly glance. "None of your concern," he informed her.

"Are we taking her with us?" Juugo asked curiously.

When Sasuke grunted a reluctant affirmative, Suigetsu stepped closer for a better look at her. She was pretty in a nothing-special kind of way, aside from her uncommon hair. He wondered what color her eyes were, and moved to lift up one of her eyelids to check.

Sasuke watched warily as Suigetsu walked forward, his eyes roaming over Sakura as if he were analyzing her, his expression brimming with interest. Sasuke grudgingly allowed him to, but when Suigetsu's hand rose to touch her face, Sasuke took a swift step backwards, effectively bringing Sakura out of his reach. He shot the other male a stern look. "Enough. We're leaving."

Suigetsu paused, looking both affronted and speculative, but he subsided under Sasuke's intense stare. He put up both of his hands in a mollifying gesture. "Alright, alright. I guess we'll find out who the mystery girl is later, huh?"

Sasuke's only response was to take to the trees, with Juugo behind him a beat later. Karin huffed and followed, with Suigetsu bringing up the rear, musing over the meaning of the incident.

**-x-**

Sakura woke with a start and tried to jump to a standing, defensive position, but found her legs tangled in a blanket. Her gaze darted around to check out her surroundings, bewildered and wary.

She was in what appeared to be a spacious bedroom, as it was furnished by a large, luxurious bed, a night-stand, a dresser, a desk equipped with a chair, and three doors which she assumed led to a bathroom, a closet, and a way out, respectively. Sakura found herself to be lying on what seemed to be a spare futon near the bed. There were no windows, so it was impossible to tell the time of day, or even what day it was.

Sakura was already calculating all of the possible scenarios that could have led to this when she noticed something: both of her wrists felt heavy, weighed down. She glanced down to assess this issue and realized that two strips of iron had been secured around her wrists, with the kanji "deplete" carved into each. Chakra manacles, designed to drain a shinobi of their chakra.

Livid and feeling strangely violated, she tried to flex her chakra and came to the conclusion that, indeed, her chakra was already greatly diminished. What should have been a steady hum was now only a low drone, barely enough to manage even the simplest of healing jutsus, much less the power required to punch her way through the stone walls to freedom.

On the verge of panicking, Sakura struggled to take deep breaths. '_Calm and composed, calm and composed, calm and composed…dammit, I am calm and freaking composed!' _she thought, her frustration mounting, as she checked herself over for any wounds.

She was wholly unharmed, aside from a pounding headache that threatened to split her head in half. It took all of her willpower to be able to concentrate and remember just what had happened. She'd made camp, fallen asleep…and then she'd woken up, and…an image of the whirling Sharingan flashed in her mind's eye.

_Sasuke. _

For some reason she found herself scanning the room again, as if expecting him to jump out of the dresser and yell "Surprise!" Alas, no such luck.

Warily, Sakura got to her feet, wincing as her stiff limbs protested, and padded around the room, surveying everything more closely, searching for anything that would aid her in escaping. Everything was clean and orderly, but there was so little in it that it would have been difficult for it to be otherwise. She opened two of the doors and noted that they did lead to where she had expected.

The utilities in the bathroom were carved out of expensive marble, but in terms of bathroom products and the like, it contained only the bare necessities. Inside the closet hung the clothing of what she estimated to be a tall male. Everything was black, white, or blue, with the occasional splash of gray, so she didn't look very far back in it. Was she in…Sasuke's bedroom? The thought was both disconcerting and exhilarating.

When she tried to open the third door, however, the one that she had assumed was a way out, she received a nasty surprise. She put her right hand on the knob and made to twist it open, but the manacle on her right wrist emitted a shock up her arm, and she fell to her knees, gasping in pain.

'_Great,_' she thought bitterly. '_I'm shock-collared like a dog._'

Left with no other option, she settled down to wait.

**-x-**

When Sasuke put his hand on the doorknob to his bedroom and twisted, he found that he was almost apprehensive. Sakura was bound to be awake by now, and she was sure to have questions—questions that he didn't want to answer. Still, he opened the door and strode in, projecting an image of confidence.

Sakura was leaning against the far wall, her arms crossed over her chest and her chin jutting out stubbornly. Her eyes widened when she saw him, but her expression remained steadfast and resolute. Sasuke closed the door and returned her stare impassively, allowing no hint of emotion to highlight his face.

When she saw him, her heart stopped for a beat before starting again, thrumming erratically against her chest, as if it was trying to break free and fly to him. Determined not to let him know how much the sight of his blank, punishingly lovely face affected her, she thrust her chin out and held his gaze.

They stood in such that way for many long moments, an impasse of wills. Unsurprisingly, it was Sakura who broke the tense silence first. "Where am I?" she asked quietly, afraid that her emotions would be betrayed by her voice if she raised it.

Sasuke turned away, realizing that his venture into the bedroom had been completely purposeless. In all actuality, he had come simply to check on her. He ignored her question and pretended to rummage through one of the drawers in his desk, pulling out a piece of paper that he didn't need at the moment, but pocketed anyway.

Sakura watched him as he took a piece of paper from his desk, frustrated that he had ignored her question—but hadn't he always? Well, she wasn't going to put up with it any longer. "Hey, I asked you a question."

Sasuke glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and noticed the red weal on her right wrist, where the manacle he had placed on her was. "You tried to open the door," he observed dispassionately.

Although Sakura's heart skipped another beat when she heard his voice, she glared at him. "No, actually, I figured, 'hey, I've been kidnapped and taken to who knows where for god knows what, this would be a great time to try and slit my wrist!'" she mocked sharply.

Sasuke's only response to her sarcasm was a cool look before he strode fluidly across the room to the door. Impulsively, Sakura unhitched herself from the wall and tried to follow him as he opened the door.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You're staying here."

She was sorely tempted to stick her tongue out at him. "I don't want to," she said instead, which actually was almost as childish.

"I don't care," Sasuke informed her bluntly.

Her reaction was not what he had expected. The stubborn glare she had worn previously melted off her face, leaving in its place a self-disparaging smile. "Yeah," she said softly, "I know."

Sasuke looked at her for a moment longer before he shut the door and strode off, telling himself that her words didn't affect him in the least.

**-x-**

Sakura looked up when Sasuke re-entered the room, after what she estimated to have been about two or three hours. She was sitting on her futon, her knees tucked to her chest and her arms wrapped around them, and she noticed that Sasuke was carrying a tray with food on it. She assumed that he had brought himself dinner to eat in his room, and was surprised when he approached her and set the tray before her.

"Eat," Sasuke ordered, before sliding his sword from his belt and propping it up against the wall near his bed. He sat on the edge of his bed and had already begun removing his sandals when he noticed that Sakura hadn't even deigned to touch the tray, instead turning to face the wall.

He was annoyed by her juvenile behavior, but reasoned that she would eat when she got hungry, and that if he pushed her to eat, it might have seemed as if whether she ate or not had some power over him, which it did not.

Two hours later, though, the food remained untouched. Sasuke, fed up, crouched down beside the despondent girl. "I told you to eat," he intoned, a hint of menace creeping into his voice.

She met his eyes calmly. "Not until you tell me what's going on." Sakura resisted the urge to shrink against the wall, intimidated by his threatening proximity.

"I have no need to tell you anything," Sasuke declared loftily, almost unnerved by the harsh, unyielding brightness of her eyes.

Sakura shrugged casually. "Then I won't eat." She meant what she said—she was too sick to eat, as confused, worried, and aggravated as she was.

Sasuke exhaled slowly, as if trying to be patient. "You're a fool," he said simply, irritated that he couldn't get a reaction out of her. When her expression didn't waver, he threw in a last barb. "And you're still annoying."

This broke her impassive expression. She glared at him savagely. "Shut up."

Sasuke smirked smugly at her and walked over to his dresser, extracted folded clothing, and disappeared into the bathroom. Sakura heard the sink run, and he emerged five minutes later, wearing loose, low-slung (what she assumed to be) black pajama pants, as well as a dark blue T-shirt of some sort of cloth material.

He didn't spare her another glance, instead climbing into his bed wordlessly after turning off the light. Sakura pushed the tray away and curled up in a miserable little ball on her futon, sick at heart and desperate for answers that Sasuke was unwilling to give.

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**A/N--HAI GAIZ. Still here? Awesome.  
**

**Becca wrote this chapter; I'm merely posting cause Becca is at her Homecoming. (In case I didn't mention it, we switch off on writing chapters.) I also came here to address something: Becca came to me a few days ago after school and told me something interesting, that someone had PMed another author and claimed they stole their idea from _our _story. _LifeofDeath_, however, wrote her story before we posted FFY. I'm not saying this is based off of _her _story, either, just that the general plot is used by many. So please, no harassment of other authors, okay?**

**No muffins this time, 'cause Becca ate them all. INSTEAD, YOU GUYS ALL GET FREE NO-HOMEWORK PASSES, OKAY? For a limited time time only, review and get yours now!**

**(And this is me, Becca, just adding a little note. Could you guys all look out for and tell me if you find any or all of the following: OOC-ness, plot-holes, bad grammar, and/or just general un-coolness. Much appreciated. And, um, sorry about the muffins. I feel fat. -despairs-)**

**Ignore Becca, guys. She's just paranoid. Though seriously, anything in need of corrections you guys find, remember to tell us! (Me especially, cause Missa hates grammar/spelling mistakes, fo srs.)**


	3. Dysphoria

**Disclaimer: Dude, no.**

**Note: Dysphoria: an emotional state characterized by anxiety, depression, or unease.**

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Sakura woke up the next morning feeling confused and disorientated. For a second she didn't know where she was, still caught in the grips of a dream that eluded her but included Sharingan eyes that darkened into the beautifully dark and flinty eyes that had so often haunted her while she slept.

It was when she caught sight of the gray walls around her, the sparse amount of furniture, that she remembered, and with it her irritation returned.

Sasuke, that bastard, had kidnapped her. Not only that but he refused to tell her where she was--to answer any of her questions, actually.

Sakura snorted and swung her legs over the extra futon, her ire growing when she felt the added weight on her ankles—stupid chakra manacles. Stupid Sasuke. Stupid her, allowing herself to be caught.

There was a tray of breakfast on the table, but she refused to touch it; after all, Sasuke still had not answered any of her questions, and Sakura was used to going without food because sometimes the sake of a mission demanded it. It was uncomfortable, but it was necessary, especially in this case.

And hey, it might bring Sasuke's damn ego down a peg. The thought made her smile, though it wasn't a particularly nice one.

Then she sighed, standing up and stretching. She was allowing her fury to take over, and while not unexpected, it wasn't an entirely _good _thing, either. Sakura had every right to be angry, of course, because of obvious events, but anger would achieve her nothing more than a headache.

Setting herself back down onto the futon, Sakura inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, beginning to meditate, studiously ignoring the smell of the food permeating the room.

She'd show him that he could no longer boss her around and affect her like he used to.

**-x-**

To say that Sasuke was annoyed at the sight of Sakura's uneaten food was an understatement. The fact that Sakura did absolutely nothing to acknowledge him when he entered the room didn't help matters, either. He wasn't used to being ignored by the girl who used to stare at him with hearts in her eyes--the girl that had jumped at any opportunity to cling to his arm and convince him to walk her home.

"_Sakura." _Inwardly Sakura smiled at the tone of voice—the new Sasuke she had seen had been nothing _but _impassive, and his anger, while expected, was also refreshing. It was nice to know that he at least still had _some _emotions left within him besides perfect calmness.

Sakura ignored him, focusing on her breathing, feeling whatever chakra she had left—she _refused _to let this get to her—swirling around her body gently, her posture calm and composed.

Sasuke's chakra, though, was flaring like fire. It was subtle, but she noticed it, and it left her feeling smug. A reversal of roles was indeed in order.

"Yes, Sasuke?" Sakura eventually asked quietly, her legs still crossed and her eyes still closed. Her hands were perfectly still on her knees, and she knew the sight of it, of _her _so calm, didn't improve Sasuke's mood. His chakra heightened and this time, Sakura almost couldn't hold back her grin of triumph.

Who knew something so insignificant as _meditating _could make Sasuke so mad?

It was probably because, at one time, Sakura's emotions had ruled her very life, clouded her judgement. Now she was older and wiser, the reason for it all standing in front of her (though he'd never know that), and Sasuke was treading on unfamiliar ground. In his own way, he was uncomfortable.

"You didn't eat." _Yes, way to point out the obvious, Sasuke,_ Sakura responded sarcastically in her mind, but bit down on her tongue to stop the scathing rebuke from leaving her lips.

Still, maybe _something _would be good for him…

"No, really?" She cracked an eye open, realizing that there would be no more meditating to be done with an aggravated ex-teammate in the room. Sakura surveyed him coolly. It wasn't obvious, but judging by the tenseness of his jaw, he was clenching his teeth.

"Why." It was not a question, it was a statement, but Sakura wasn't surprised by Sasuke's demanding attitude; he'd always been like that, even when they had been twelve. Then again, she shouldn't be so foolish to believe that she even correctly knew him anymore. Sound had warped the Sasuke-kun she had known. The man in front of her was nothing more than a shadow of the boy who would have sacrificed his life for them, and who almost had, at various times. A shadow of the boy she had loved.

The thought brought a sad smile to Sakura's lips, and Sasuke noticed it, his frown deepening. What had he said to make her upset?

"Well, Sasuke," Sakura sighed, untangling her legs from the Indian-style they had previous been positioned at, "you never answered my question; therefore, I don't eat."

Sasuke gritted his teeth. "You're being childish, Sakura," he hissed.

Sakura shrugged. "You're no better, not answering such simple questions, Sasuke." He stared at her impassively and Sakura sighed again. "Where are my things?" Sasuke didn't answer and she understood the reason for his silence, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "You burned them, didn't you?"

"Yes." The answer was blunt, to the point, and Sakura resisted her urge to swear viciously at him. That _asshole_, how dare he?!

She felt the calm she had collected while meditating slipping away from her.

"Sasuke," her voice was low, her eyes glaring daggers at him, "you burned my medical books. My _very rare, hard-to-get-your-hands-on _medical texts."

Sasuke smirked at her. "Oh well."

This time Sakura really _did _swear at him. It was when she called him a bastard, however, that he frowned, and she was reminded of a time where things were easy and where a blond-haired boy was best friends with a lost boy whose demons never let him go. Sasuke was used to being called a bastard, but it was by the wrong teammate.

Suddenly, the door opened, and a woman with fire-red hair, magenta eyes, glasses, and the sluttiest clothing Sakura had ever seen on a woman—and this included Ino, who was well known for wearing clothing that Sakura wore as undergarments—looking like a bitch on wheels. This theory was proven when the woman sneered at her, and Sakura wanted to deck her.

"Sasuke, I sensed your chakra flaring. What's the matter?" Sakura watched in disbelief as the other female sidled up to Sasuke, fluttering her eyelashes at him behind her glasses.

"Karin, I thought I told you to never enter my room without my permission."

Hm. Karin. Sakura would have to remember that. (Like when she was tearing the other female's hair out from its roots, yeah.)

"But Sasuke," Karin whined, pressing herself up against the dark-haired male, "I was worried about you."

Beneath all of the layers of whore, Sakura could sense that the redhead was serious. The feeling this left her with made her swallow.

"Get out." Inwardly the roseate-haired female shook her head. Same old Sasuke. He wouldn't even flinch if a naked woman sauntered up to him and asked what she could do for him. Hell, he was probably used to it. Naruto, on the other hand…

The thought of Naruto caused a pain of an entirely different kind of well up inside of her chest, and Sakura bit her lip, vaguely hearing Karin huff in irritation and then leave, the door slamming behind her. Sakura wondered how panicked Naruto would be when he heard that Sakura hadn't returned back from a simple mission.

Now he'd have to worry about both of his teammates.

The image of Naruto's broken-hearted face, much as it had been when he learned of Jiraiya's death, swam before her eyes, and her heart broke with the pain of it. Naruto didn't deserve this, didn't deserve to worry so incessantly about her safety.

Sakura's eyes met Sasuke's, and she sneered at him.

After all, Naruto was her only teammate that had stuck around. Her only teammate that had _cared _enough to stick around.

When Sakura had been stuck in her own little world, Sasuke had been observing her, watching as an ache darkened her jade eyes to a green so deep it echoed black. He wondered absently what pain Sakura could have gone through to do that to her.

He realized then, angrily, that something stirred inside of him at the sight of her pain—that old familiar feeling of needing to protect Sakura. Of feeling obligated to make everything better.

Damn her and those eyes of hers.

Then those eyes were meeting his and the sneer she gave him only incensed him further.

Before Karin had stormed off, she had mentioned that they, meaning he, she, Juugo, and Suigetsu, had something to do outside of the base, and Sasuke, furious with himself, knew the exact way to hurt her, to level the playing field. Sakura made him feel, and that was dangerous.

Walking over to his closet in pseudo-calmness, Sasuke leaned in, shoving aside his other clothes, and grabbed the garment of black with red clouds on it from the back. He slipped it on fluidly, then glanced at Sakura.

Her eyes were wide, disbelief coloring her face. _No…not possible…not Sasuke-kun_ her eyes seemed to whisper, and something inside of him hurt, reacting to the sight of her pain. The pain _he _caused her.

Sakura--what an annoying girl. She shouldn't have been able to do this, not after all this time.

"You're in the Akatsuki base, Sakura," was all he said to her before he left, angling one last glance at her before he left.

He wished he hadn't.

Those betrayed green eyes were filming over with unshed tears.

**-x-**

Sakura didn't know how long she sat there, her mind reeling.

Sasuke…part of the Akatsuki. It seemed surreal, that he would join the organization that Itachi had belonged to, the one man that had ripped _everything _away from Sasuke, the reason he was here and not at home where he belonged.

Her body felt numb and cold with shock. It seemed unthinkable, Sasuke in an Akatsuki cloak.

His final betrayal to them.

_I will never be like you or Naruto._

She should have listened to him then, when he had left the village and uttered those words. Perhaps if she had, pain wouldn't be gripping her every nerve, spiraling out of control.

Sakura had never believed it to be possible that Sasuke could hurt her again—hell, she had taken every precaution against it—but with one action he had made it so. He had gotten through those iron barriers that she had placed against him, had broken her heart into even more jagged, lovely pieces than he had so many years ago when she was screaming that she loved him, would do _anything _for him. When she was screaming to his turned back, which summed up their relationship perfectly.

It seemed the one thing Sasuke was good at was walking away.

It took Sakura ten minutes to realize that a few tears were sliding down her face. She could only hope that Sasuke hadn't seen them; after all, he had been the reason for her tears too many times. Not, of course, that her pain would affect him; it hadn't before.

Sakura laughed humorlessly, wiping furiously at her cheeks.

God, she hated that he still had this sort of power over her. Damn Sasuke. Stupid her, why couldn't she just move on? Really, it was sort of sick that he could return her to the Sakura of old with the act of donning the Akatsuki cloak, the biggest act of betrayal out there for a shinobi.

Betrayal…

For the second time in a half-hour, the face of a broken blond floated before her eyes, and Sakura choked on a sob.

Naruto. What would happen to Naruto when he found out what Sasuke had done? What Sasuke was now a part of? The very group that wanted Naruto dead…_badly_.

She never thought it to be possible, but in that moment, she hated Sasuke more than she ever thought she could.

She thought Naruto was his best friend. She thought he wasn't serious when he said he was breaking their bonds, that they meant absolutely nothing to him.

It appeared Sakura was dead wrong.

Dead wrong. Something Naruto would be, and soon if she didn't do something to stop it.

The mental image of blank cerulean eyes flashed before her, and Sakura almost clamped her hands over her ears, as if to block out her mental wailing at the thought.

Naruto was her best friend, the only person who had cared enough about her to stay, to worry, to see beyond her happy façade and be there for her when she needed it, whether she said so in words or whether he just _knew_.

She couldn't allow it to happen. Not to Naruto. She'd _die _before she watched the life, the one thing Naruto had in abundence, being beaten from him, stolen and violated.

Sakura hated Uchiha Sasuke so much she could have killed him in that moment.

She slumped into the futon and, for the first time in a _very _long time, silently cried herself to sleep.

**-x-**

When Sasuke got back, Sakura was face down in the futon. He hesitated a moment before rolling her over, surprised when she didn't wake—Sakura, a shinobi, should have felt this action. Her knee-jerk reaction, instilled into all of them, would have been to wake up and attack him unthinkingly.

The skin around her eyes was a bit red and puffy, even though it had been hours since he left, and her face was still slightly damp to the touch.

Sakura must have been crying, at least on and off, for hours.

Sasuke resisted the urge to swallow, reminding himself that Sakura's tears were none of his concern anymore. Really, he knew this was bound to happen. He shouldn't be so surprised at the sight of Sakura's broken, tear-stained face. He had seen it plenty of times before, and it _did not _affect him.

Impulsively, he adjusted her position, covering her with a blanket; her skin was wet with the sheen of cold sweat, and he wondered what she had to fear so much that her body reacted in such an extreme way. He frowned when she whimpered.

He straightened, sighing, and ran a hand through his hair before giving her one last inscrutiable look and striding out the door.

Perhaps he shouldn't have let her know that he was a part of the Akatsuki. Especially considering how he automatically reacted to her pain.

Unbelievable. He had thought his teammates didn't affect him anymore, had believed this so strongly when he saw the two of them at Orochimaru's base.

Uchiha Sasuke didn't like being wrong. He didn't like it one bit.

**-x-**

Sakura's body, exhausted and spent both mentally and emotionally, woke up around what she assumed was morning. She had no way of telling in the godforsaken room, and it left her feeling claustrophobic.

Sasuke was asleep in the bed opposite her, and agony made a brutal stab at her at the sight of him.

_Sasuke…why?_

She closed her eyes painfully, tears threatening to seep through the closed lids. She had thought she had outcried herself last night, but apparently not. '_I can't believe Sasuke left Konoha for power,_' she thought bitterly. '_He has more power over me than I ever thought possible._'

Inhaling deeply, she attempted to rein in her rampant emotions. When she was sure had done so, she opened her eyes (which were clouded over with pain) and scanned the room. Unconciously, she was looking for that goddamn Akatsuki cloak of his; she wanted to rip it to shreds. It was childish, she knew, but Sasuke, it appeared, was more honest when furious.

Her eyes stopped and widened when she caught sight of a stack of medical books on the desk.

Her eyes fluttered over to Sasuke's back, her fingers tingling. Sasuke had gone out and gotten her medical books.

Biting her lip in indecision, Sakura made up her mind after moments of thinking. She got up and padded quietly over to the desk, grabbing the five heavy books and bringing them over to her futon. Cracking one of them open, she inhaled the scent of new books.

She glanced up at Sasuke once more, a tiny smile breaking across her face, before she gave her full attention to the book.

It was a start.

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**A/N--So this is me, Becca, writing the author's note for the chapter that Missa wrote. Um. Fear our logic? **

**But anyway. This is the part where I'm supposed to say something incredibly insightful and profound about the chapter or just the story as a whole, but...I got nothing. So we'll just pretend I had something deeply philosophical to share with you, yes? Yesyes.**

**OH, but guess what today is? MISSA'S BIRTHDAY. -dances- I'm fairly certain that she's already left home for the weekend, but be sure to wish her a happy birthday in your review, yeah? BECAUSE SHE PWNS YOUR SOUL. Toh-tah-lee. Thanks for reading!  
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	4. Tentative Beginnings

**Disclaimer: Sure, why not? Hahahahaha—no, not really. Carry on.  


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Suigetsu waited until he was sure that Sasuke was fully immersed in training before he drifted away under the pretext of being thirsty—and he actually was in need of a drink, but his true objective was to sneak into Sasuke's wholly off-limits room and investigate the mysterious girl that Sasuke had taken.

Once they'd returned from the scouting mission they'd been on (the one they'd intercepted the kunoichi on), Sasuke had disappeared with her. After that, they never saw her, and when questioned about it, Sasuke would either ignore the person that was addressing him or get snippy about it being 'none of their business.'

Yesterday, however, Karin had stormed up to Juugo and Suigetsu and promptly begun complaining about "that stupid pink-haired slut, sleeping in Sasuke's room—how dare she?!"

Immediately curious, Suigetsu had asked her about it, and Karin had told him that she'd gone into Sasuke's room because his chakra had flared—Suigetsu interpreted that as meaning that she'd been looking for an opportunity to jump their team leader's bones—and come upon the girl sitting on a spare futon set up on the floor beside Sasuke's bed.

Karin had launched into a fit of histrionics after that, but Suigetsu had stopped listening, absorbed in musings. So the girl _had _been in Sasuke's room all along—Suigetsu had assumed as much. He really wasn't sure what to make of the situation. It was definitely not normal to keep a hostage or a prisoner in one's bedroom, though Sasuke had always been a little strange. And if she had her own futon, Sasuke probably wasn't using her for sex.

So…what? Sasuke kidnapped her and just kept her in his room like a pet? The girl was a kunoichi from Konoha. Perhaps she'd been a friend of Sasuke's, back when Sasuke had also been a shinobi of the Leaf? But now Sasuke's sole goal in life was to bring about the downfall of Konoha.

That same frustrating knot of unanswered questions was precisely why Suigetsu now stood before Sasuke's room, intent on getting some answers from the girl herself. He paused, thought about it, then shrugged and barged into the room without knocking.

The first thing Suigetsu noticed upon entering the room was that a spare futon was indeed set up on the floor. The second thing was that the girl that had previously been lounging on it immediately shot up into what he recognized as a defensive position, all of her muscles taut and her green eyes narrowed intensely.

Her eyes, Suigetsu observed absently. She really was much more attractive when one could see the bright green of her eyes. He said as much aloud, curious about how she'd react to the random statement.

Sakura, for her part, could easily be labeled as bewildered. She'd been lying on her futon reading one of her new medical texts when a guy strode in and informed her that she was "definitely hotter with her eyes open."

Although she didn't relax out of her ready stance, she felt it necessary to ask, "Uh, excuse me?"

The youth grinned, exposing unusually pointed teeth. "You were pretty enough when you were unconscious in Sasuke's arms, but you're a lot more attractive with your eyes open."

"Thanks," Sakura said cautiously, watching him apprehensively. Something told her to be wary of him—his eyes were sharp and keen, and there was something lurking in them that told her he wasn't exactly a benevolent soul. He was lean and wiry, two or three inches shorter than Sasuke. He moved like a fighter, a swordsman to be exact; however, she couldn't discern that he meant her any harm at the moment, so she accordingly adjusted her posture until it was more casual, though she still remained on her guard.

Suigetsu resisted the urge to smirk when he noted the way that she sized him up, obviously trying to figure out whether or not he was a threat. Apparently she decided not, as she relaxed from her defensive position. Her expression remained guarded, however, and he was rather pleased to affirm that she was not a fool.

He tilted his head. "What's your name?"

Deciding to play it safe, at least for the moment, Sakura voiced calmly, "I'm not sure I want you to know."

He shrugged, nonplussed. "I'm Suigetsu."

She took a second to file away the name before venturing, "Did Sasuke send you?"

Suigetsu paused, trying to uncover any particular inflection in her voice when she'd said Sasuke's name in an attempt to gauge her relationship with him. His efforts proved mostly fruitless; the girl's voice was casual to the point of indifferent, supplying no insight as to her feelings for the Uchiha.

"No," he answered her question. "I actually had to sneak in here—Sasuke's very touchy about people being in his room." _'Which is why_, he mused, _it's so weird that you're here.'_

Sakura nodded, recalling how Sasuke had reminded Karin to never enter his room without permission. "Which means," she surmised, "that you're either here to see me or raid Sasuke's closet. I'll tell you now that he's got nothing interesting in there."

He loosed a quick laugh. "Tell me about it. No, I'm here to see you. Specifically, I'm here to ask you who you are to Sasuke and why he's decided to arrange for an extended sleep-over with you."

Sakura grimaced. "The truth is that I know neither of the answers to your questions."

"What _do _you know?" he pressed.

She shrugged, becoming more comfortable with him. "I know that I was on my way home from a mission when Sasuke knocked me out. And then I woke up here and the only thing that Sasuke has conceded to share with me is that he…" she trailed off, her voice cracking just the slightest bit. "Is that he joined the Akatsuki," she finished before regarding Suigetsu. "Are you also a member?"

He also shrugged. "More or less, I suppose. So you knew Sasuke? Before he kidnapped you, I mean."

Sakura tried not to convey how his question struck a chord within her. "I liked to think so," she said finally, before she changed the subject. "So…where are we? I mean, what's outside of this room?"

Suigetsu stared at her, not quite understanding what she was trying to ask. "…More rooms?" he hazarded.

"Seriously," Sakura rolled her eyes. "Like, where the hell are we? Since the moment I woke up two days ago, I haven't been outside of Sasuke's room. I don't even know what country we're in."

Suigetsu almost gaped at her. "Wow. I mean, I knew you weren't getting out a lot because no one had seen you, but Sasuke hasn't let you out at all?"

She scowled darkly and held up her wrists for his inspection. "These stupid chakra-manacles shock me whenever I try to open the door," she explained.

He whistled under his breath. That explained why the door had thrummed with Sasuke's chakra when he opened it. "Well, anyway. We're in the Land of Rain—specifically, we're in Hatekyo." He smirked when her eyes widened. "You've heard of it, I gather?"

"Who _hasn't_?" Sakura muttered, her mind reeling. Hatekyo was infamous for being a rat's nest of illegal activities. Missing-nin, drug-dealers, rebels, and all sorts of criminals flocked to it. It was in a total state of bloody anarchy. Many of its inhabitants were unfriendly towards Konoha and the other great shinobi villages. The reason that none of the Hidden Villages had done anything about Hatekyo's thriving prosperity off anything and everything illegal was because it would be a monumental task that none of the villages ever had enough manpower to deal with. The typical attitude was to cast a blind eye on Hatekyo and hope that it spontaneously ceased to exist.

'_Ignorance is bliss until it bites you in the ass,' _Sakura despaired mentally.

**-x-**

After he finished training, Sasuke strode purposefully through the halls, intent upon checking on Sakura and bringing her a meal, which was why he held a tray of food in his hands. She was bound to be going stir-crazy after being confined to a single room for two days, but Sasuke couldn't seem to come up with a better solution. He certainly couldn't let her wander freely, and taking her with him entailed its own risks.

For the moment, Sakura would have to stay put.

As he came closer to his room, he noticed that Suigetsu's chakra signature was present; right alongside Sakura's extremely muted one. After his initial moment of irritation and exasperation that no one seemed to be respecting his personal boundaries anymore, he felt a surge of alarm course through him.

Sakura was weak on the best of days, but virtually defenseless with the chakra-manacles on. Sasuke increased his stride. He couldn't think of any reason for Suigetsu to attack Sakura, but he was aware that the other male possessed a prominent streak of cruelty, as evident in the way he tortured his victims.

When he was just outside his door, however, he realized that the situation was not what he had expected. Sakura and Suigetsu's voices could be heard through the door.

"So Sasuke really didn't tell you _anything_?" came Suigetsu's incredulous query. Sasuke's irritation grew when he realized that they were talking about him.

"Slow on the uptake, aren't you? Sasuke never tells anyone anything," was Sakura's dry response. Sasuke couldn't help but feel slightly betrayed.

Suigetsu laughed. "True. Sasuke's—"

"—right here," Sasuke finished for him, deciding it was time to make his presence known by entering the room. The sight of Sakura and Suigetsu facing each other on the floor, sitting cross-legged greeted him. Both of them looked up at his interjection—Sakura's eyes widened then narrowed, and Suigetsu grimaced.

He shot to his feet as Sasuke set the tray of food on the floor. "Sasuke. Hi. Come here often?"

Sakura snickered quietly behind her hand, but Sasuke was admittedly less amused. "You know that I don't permit you to enter my room," he said, enunciating slowly, leaving no room for miscomprehension.

Suigetsu sighed a martyred sigh. "Yeah, I know. I just wanted to talk to—" he broke off, turning to the girl on the floor behind him. "Hey, you never did tell me your name."

Sakura blinked. "Oh. Sakura." She frowned sullenly. She'd really begun to enjoy Suigetsu's company—being cooped up for two days with only Sasuke to talk to was very bleak, and although she was still a bit edgy about Suigetsu, he was rather fun.

'_Leave it to Sasuke to ruin it,' _she thought resentfully.

She turned her attention back to Suigetsu. "Hey, can you come back tomorrow?"

He looked at her, amused. "You want me to?" _'This pink-haired girl of Sasuke's is very interesting,' _he mused.

Sakura gave him a deadpan look. "For the past two days I've had no one to talk to but Sasuke—and he's not exactly the poster-child for a stimulating conversationalist, you know?" Suigetsu's presence lightened her mood considerably—it opened up all other sort of revenue for thought, drawing her mind away from thought of Naruto and Konoha and Sasuke's coldness.

Sasuke, disgruntled at being ignored, drew Sakura's attention back to him. "You cannot invite people to my room," he informed her.

She blinked owlishly at him. "You can come too, if you want." She felt it might appease him to offer.

Suigetsu was smirking, obviously taking the entire conversation in a dirty way.

Sasuke sent him a chilly glance. "Suigetsu, leave."

Suigetsu compliantly headed out the door, mildly relieved he had escaped an un-permitted venture into Sasuke's room with only a few sharp words.

Sakura threw Sasuke a sulky look. "Now what am I supposed to do?"

He glared at her, fed up. "I got you your stupid books—read them."

She rolled her eyes. "Perusing medical textbooks all day gets really old really fast."

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair, trying to bite back an angry retort. He'd already garnered that anger and hostility didn't gain him much ground with Sakura, not as she was now. "You're very high-maintenance," he pointed out dully as he brought her tray to her. "Eat." Now that he was closer to her, he realized that she must have taken a shower, as she smelled of his shampoo and soap. It briefly unsettled him.

Sakura thought about it. Her campaign against food really wasn't getting her very far. In actuality she was only hurting herself. "If you answer me one question," she compromised.

His lips formed a grim line. "Depends on the question."

"How long will I…be here?" she asked surprisingly softly.

Sasuke hadn't been expecting that question. He couldn't see any harm in answering, and he wanted her to eat, so he did a few mental calculations. "About three months," he answered.

Sakura's eyes widened. Three months—seriously? But _why_? She'd already decided that the best way to get information from Sasuke was slowly and gradually, so she bit back those questions in favor of: "And then I can go back to Konoha?"

In three months, there wouldn't be a Konoha for her to go back to. Sasuke didn't feel like lying to her, so he said carefully, "In three months, I'll let you leave."

She nodded slowly and picked up the tray, breaking apart the chopsticks. Then she raised her head to see Sasuke watching her intently. Although it irritated her to no end, having his undivided attention like that—just _watching _her—flustered her a bit. "Stop staring at me," she protested defensively.

His only response was to turn towards the door. As his hand was on the knob, Sakura realized something. "Hey, Sasuke?"

He paused, letting her know that he was listening. "Um…if I'm going to be here for three months, I'm kinda going to need more clothes, you know?"

The line of thought had occurred to her earlier in the day after she'd taken a shower. (As Sasuke's shampoo and soap were the only toiletries in there, they were the ones she'd had to use, and she'd marvel at how she had smelled like him afterwards. Except she was missing something—there was more to the scent she identified as Sasuke's other than just his soap and shampoo.) She'd had to change back into the dirty clothes she'd been wearing for what had to be three days now, and it was getting seriously uncomfortable.

She had debated on whether or not to just snag clothes from Sasuke's closet, but had opted not to as a) they wouldn't fit and b) although, as indifferent as Sasuke was towards her he probably wouldn't notice, she had a feeling he'd be less than pleased if he did notice, to put it mildly.

Sasuke continued on his way out the door without responding, but as he'd gotten her medical books without any prompting whatsoever, she trusted him to handle her clothing issue as well.

All she really could do was trust him.

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**A/N--I seriously don't think Becca and I will _ever _write the A/N for our own chapters. Not much to say except that I sort of fail at keeping Sasuke IC--I would apologize, but really, you guys need to stop writing such wonderful overpossesive!Sasuke fics, because not only does it cause me to fangirl like an idiot, it also makes me want to write it. _Constantly-_-but I'll try as much as I can to keep bastard!Sasuke. For now, at any point, since this IS a SasuSaku fic. If you review you get...OH. YOU WILL GET THE CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CUP ICE CREAM THAT I WOULD SACRIFICE SEVERAL SMALL COUNTRIES FOR A LIFETIME SUPPLY OF. You _so _want some. I don't blame you, that stuff is my crack. BUT YOU CAN ONLY GET SOME IF YOU REVIEW.**


	5. Irrevocable

**Disclaimer: Refer back to chapter one. Particularly the part about The Angry Fangirls. (GIVE US BACK KAKASHI-SENSEI, YOU MOTHERFUDGER.)

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Uchiha Sasuke did _not _do uncomfortable. Apathetic, yes. Asshole, yes. Cold, yes. Calm, yes. Furious, yes.

The word 'uncomfortable' wasn't even in his vocabulary; but that was only word he could use to sum up his current feeling as he shopped for clothes for Sakura.

He grabbed a pair of black shorts and a blank tank top, trying to envision her in them. His mind, however, couldn't conjure up the image. Sakura wasn't made for dark clothes.

He kept the black shorts but grabbed other colors that he thought would match her, along with five shirts.

One of the combos he had picked up were a pair of dark green shorts and a red zip-up vest, and his mind immediately associated it with a twelve-year old Sakura.

"_Sasuke-kun!" Legs were running to him, then a body dropped to its knees in front of him and the face of a worried, anxious girl filled his gaze. "Are you okay?!" Green eyes were the only thing he saw, his mind clouded with pain, but those green irises were the only color that registered. Those eyes and that scared face. He would do anything to keep that look off her face._

Sasuke gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. Stupid Sakura. He hadn't thought of his team in so long, and now having her so close was dredging up memories he thought had been long buried.

He slammed the clothing onto the counter, and the girl behind it raised a pierced eyebrow but said nothing, merely ringing up his purchases. It was when she was bagging them that she decided to speak up. "You know, your girlfriend's gonna need more than shirts, vests, and shorts for whatever she's doing."

Sasuke glared at her. "Mind your own business," he snapped.

The girl shrugged, seeming unaffected by his glare. In a way, she reminded him of Sakura, and this made him narrow his eyes further. He didn't want to think about Sakura more than was absolutely necessary.

"Just saying. It might make her happy, knowing that you were thinking of her."

_It might make her happy, knowing that you were thinking of her_.

The only problem was, Sasuke didn't know what Sakura liked anymore.

He didn't know _Sakura_ anymore.

Feeling oddly unsettled, Sasuke gave the female one last glare, gathered up his things, and left.

**-x-**

He heard her before he saw her.

Or rather, he heard her laughter, the one thing he would never be able to forget. Sasuke slowed down almost imperceptibly. How long had it been since he had heard Sakura laughing?

"We tried so many times to see what was beneath Kakashi-sensei's mask. Seriously, it was a little sad." She laughed again, but what made Sasuke walk faster to his room was when he realized that Suigetsu was in the room with her.

When he opened the door (it wasn't his fault he threw the door open so hard it rebounded against the wall--the door was just weak) Sakura was sitting on the futon, knees drawn up to her chest with her chin balanced on her kneecaps. Suigetsu was sitting on the floor, legs sprawled out. Still, they were far too close in Sasuke's opinion.

"Suigetsu." Although Sasuke's tone was calm, there was an anger behind it that only Suigetsu noticed. "What have I told you about coming into my room uninvited?"

"That's not true," Sakura protested, "_I _invited him in here."

Sasuke threw her a withering glance. "Stay out of this, Sakura."

Sakura bristled. "No! Just because you have me prisoner in here doesn't mean you can control my life, Sasuke."

"No, it's fine, Sakura. I'll go." Suigetsu interjected, and he reached out to ruffle Sakura's hair. Seconds later his hand was touching air as Sasuke reached out and snapped Sakura to his chest, big hand clutching her back as her face was hidden in the hollow of his chest. Sasuke's eyes spun into the Sharingan, glaring at the sharp-toothed male. Suigetsu raised an eyebrow. "Well, then. Bye, Sakura. Sasuke." He nodded at the only person who could see him, then left the room.

Sakura's fists came up and started pushing Sasuke away. "What the _hell_, Sasuke?!" she demanded angrily. "What was _that _all about?!"

Sasuke glared down at her, his eyes having returned to normal. "I don't want you near him, Sakura. Suigetsu is dangerous, or have you not grasped that yet?" He sneered. "It wouldn't surprise me if you haven't."

"Screw you, Sasuke! I would have thought you'd be overjoyed--I'm not bothering you. After all," Sakura sneered back at him, and Sasuke was almost taken aback, "I'm _annoying_, remember?"

"I'm trying to keep you _alive_, idiot!" Sasuke snarled. Their faces were so close that Sasuke could feel every angry breath that was loosed from her lips.

The fury melted from Sakura's eyes, and Sasuke was captured in her gaze. "Why?" she whispered.

Sasuke jerked back. Why indeed. "I got you clothes." He said, a not-answer, and Sakura could feel his shell coming back up. She took a few steps back before she sank onto her futon and laid on her side, her back to Sasuke. She wouldn't get any more answers from him at the moment.

The door slammed behind her and Sakura closed her eyes, something hollow aching in her.

_It's probably where my heart used to be, _she mused bitterly. _Since it's no longer my own._

**-x-**

Suigetsu stared at the ceiling, contemplating.

He liked to believe that he knew what kind of person Sasuke was, since he had spent so long in a group with him. Sasuke was an all-or-nothing person; what he wanted he went out and got. The hunt for Itachi is what cemented this idea; Sasuke had done everything possible to reach Itachi. Now that Itachi was dead and gone, and Sasuke had learned the truth, he was determined to attack Konoha to right its wrong against Itachi.

Still, Suigetsu mused, rolling a toothpick against the jagged rows of his teeth, there were missing holes in what he thought he knew about Sasuke.

Holes, he bet, that Sakura knew.

He supposed he could risk Sasuke's ire again. Besides, it was always fun to piss Sasuke off.

And it seems like Sasuke got a lot more pissed off at him now that him and Sakura had been talking.

Suigetsu smirked. Well, wasn't this interesting?

**-x-**

Sakura had her back to Suigetsu when he opened the door, and he saw how the muscles in her back tensed when he walked through it. Well well well, it looked like Sakura and Sasuke had gotten into a fight.

Not that he was surprised; Sasuke's emotions had been in turmoil ever since Sakura came around, and Sasuke, it appeared, didn't know how to handle it.

"Hey," he greeted, and Sakura rolled over in response. Her eyes met his, and though she looked happy to see him, there was also something sad lurking behind those viridian irises. _Yep, they _definitely _got into a fight._

"Hey. What're you doing back here?"

"Well," Suigetsu drawled, sticking his hands into his pockets nonchalantly, "I was sort of hoping for a threesome with you, me, and Sasuke, but it appears he isn't here, so I suppose it'll just be the two of us." He waggled his eyebrows at her and Sakura laughed, fully sitting up now.

"Well, Sasuke left to god-knows-where."

"Better for us then, huh?" Sakura laughed again and he grinned at her. "So anyway, Sakura, how do you know Sasuke anyways?"

The smile slid from Sakura's face. She looked down at her feet. "We were teammates, back in Konoha."

Suigetsu nodded; he had suspected as much. "Friends?"

Sakura looked up and smiled, though it was both dark and painful. "I liked to think so."

Hmm…he was getting warmer. At least he knew his thoughts weren't off.

"What was Sasuke like, back in Konoha?"

"Why do you care so much?" Sakura shot back, and Suigetsu grinned. Clever, clever girl.

"Relax," Suigetsu drawled, "I'm not planning any blackmail or anything, so you can stop being so defensive. I've just never seen Sasuke so emotional. Ever."

Sakura's jaw dropped. Then she began to laugh hysterically. "Sasuke? Emotional?" The thought of those two words in the same sentence brought along another round of hysterics.

Suigetsu watched her, grinning. He could understand the amusement of it--because honestly, the idea of an emotional Sasuke _was _pretty funny--but he was being completely serious.

"You get under Sasuke's skin." Suigetsu said, and Sakura looked up at him, tears of mirth in her eyes. "You unsettle him. It may not be obvious to you, but to the rest of us? We notice it."

Sakura smiled softly, brokenly, shaking her head. "No, you're wrong." She said quietly. "The only person who ever affected Sasuke was Naruto."

Suigetsu raised an eyebrow, then he seated himself down on the floor again. "What's Naruto like?" He didn't miss how the light returned to Sakura's eyes at the name.

"Naruto's amazing. He's so full of life, so exuberant. Naruto never gives up. He's my rock, the one person I know I can always lean on when things get tough. Naruto understands me, understands why I've always defended Sasuke against the villagers." Sakura's smile became wistful. Sad. "He's my best friend.

"But," she sighed, "he was Sasuke's best friend first. Those two were like brothers." Suigetsu did not miss the past tense: were.

"What happened?" The light was extinguished from Sakura's eyes, and Suigetsu almost winced. What had Sasuke _done _to Sakura?

"When Sasuke was leaving the village, I tried to stop him. He knocked me out and left me on a bench. He punched a hole through Naruto's chest, and Kakashi-sensei was the one to find Naruto." Sakura gave Suigetsu a sad smile. "Sasuke's excuse for it all was that he was cutting his bonds." She looked down at her feet, her bangs shadowing her eyes. "He left us all alone."

Suigetsu watched her quietly. "Maybe he hasn't been able to, though. Cut his bonds, I mean. After all, he rescued you, didn't he?" He stood up, stretching, and Sakura picked up her head to look at him. "Anyway, I'm gonna get going before Sasuke finds out I'm here and rips my head off. And I may or may not mean the one on my shoulders, if you catch my drift." He winked at her and then left, laughing at the dark flush that spread across her cheeks.

"Perv!" Sakura yelled to the closed door, then laughed softly. Suigetsu was amusing, she'd give him that.

Still, she thought, getting up and opening Sasuke's closet, he was wrong about Sasuke not being able to cut his bonds.

She fingered the Akatsuki cloak, her mind conjuring up the image of him in it, one that still made her chest ache with the pain and betrayal of it.

If Sasuke hadn't been able to cut his bonds, then he never would have donned this damnable cloak. Instead, he'd be home, where he belonged.

But he _had _been able to cut his bonds, and he _had _donned the Akatsuki cloak.

Except he hadn't been able to return home. It was clear that by joining the Akatsuki, he had no intention of doing so. Sakura bit her lip painfully, hands clenching the cloak.

She and Naruto had been reaching for empty air. Sasuke had never wanted to go back home. He never wanted to go back home to _them_.

And as for him kidnapping her…it was merely a whim, something he probably did for his own sick amusement, and now she was a pawn caught in his twisted little game.

* * *

**A/N--AHAHAHA. Um. Okay, so yes, Suigetsu IS OOC. But, uh, it's for a reason, I swear! Plot development and all that. This chapter would've been out sooner, but my laptop charger died on me and I didn't get a new one for two weeks. In between that was school and driving lessons. AND THEN HANA YORI DANGO TOOK OVER MY LIFE. It is now taking over Becca's. This pleases me greatly. (Domyouji/Makino FTW!) SO. ANYWAY. Um. If you review you get a shiny rock! So review, por favor! **


	6. Disillusionment

**Disclaimer: Nope. Kishimoto owns it. Someone should buy that boy a giant, heaping plate of humor for Christmas. (And a side dish of SasuSaku, please?)  
**

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When Sasuke entered his bedroom later that evening, he saw that Sakura was sprawled on her futon, writing something on paper that she had clearly swiped from Sasuke's desk. He considered calling her on it, before discarding the notion; if it kept her amused and occupied (and preferably away from Suigetsu), a few sheets of paper was little price to pay.

Sakura looked up as he approached her. "Hey, Sasuke," she murmured, "mind standing still for a minute?"

He paused, puzzled and wary, and Sakura took the opportunity to study him before turning back to her paper and scribbling something. "Cool, thanks."

As he came closer to set down her tray of food, he saw that she was not writing but _drawing_. He snatched up the paper in an instant, invoking Sakura's outraged "_Hey!_"

She scrambled to her feet and tried to grab it back, but Sasuke used his considerable height advantage to keep it out of her reach. As he held it up, he examined it. The first few drawings were of penguins wearing bling, then a Sun wearing sunglasses.

At the bottom of the page was a cartoon version of Sasuke himself, his hands on his hips and a scowl on his face. Above the picture was the caption 'SASUKE: Stupid, Arrogant, Selfish, Unpleasant, Keilhagawa, Egoistical.'

He turned a very chilly gaze on her. "'Keilhagawa'?" he repeated slowly.

Sakura nodded. "See, I couldn't think of a K word that described you, so I made one up. Keilhagawa: it means PMS-y in Sakuranese." She arranged her expression into an innocent look. A long, tense silence followed, prompting Sakura to wonder if it had upset Sasuke more than she'd thought it would. She'd drawn it partly to amuse herself and partly to ease her frustrations, and hadn't thought that Sasuke would actually see it.

Sasuke, for his part, was mildly ticked off, but not angry. Sakura appeared to be in a relatively good mood, and because he didn't feel like getting into another argument with her, he simply dropped the paper and stalked off towards the bathroom, keen on taking a shower.

Sakura listened to the water running for a minute before sitting back down on her futon and picking at her food. She had gone through the bag of clothing that Sasuke had bought her and was wearing black shorts and a green shirt. Sasuke had been surprisingly cooperative by going out and getting her more clothing so soon after she'd asked, but there was a problem: he hadn't gotten her any bras or panties or such things. (Of course, that really shouldn't surprise her, and the idea of Sasuke shopping for women's lingerie was absolutely ludicrous.)

This, however, left her with a dilemma: she desperately needed more, which meant she'd have to broach the subject with Sasuke. She cringed just thinking about it. Oh God, how _mortifying_. She envisioned the conversation.

"_Hey, Sasuke, uh, I don't know if you were planning to, uh, go to Victoria's Secret anytime soon, but uh, if you were, would you mind picking me up various articles of underwear…? My bra size is a 30A, by the way."_

She couldn't even picture Sasuke's reaction. When he emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, toweling off his hair, she couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes, instead fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

Her roommate didn't appear to notice as he turned out the light and climbed into his bed, his back to her. It occurred to Sakura that the conversation might be more bearable if Sasuke was half-asleep when they had it, so she waited for about half an hour before posing, "Sasuke?"

Sasuke, who had just been drifting off to sleep, ignored her in the hopes that she would simply drop it.

Instead, she tried again. "Hey, Sasuke?" When she again got no answer, she crawled closer to the bed and poked the back of his head. "Hey, Sasuke."

A disgruntled grunt.

Sakura withdrew her hand. "Um…I kind of need…er, well, first of all, thanks for getting me more clothes, really, it's just that I, uh…Ineedmorebrasandpanties," Sakura blurted out quickly.

"What?" Sasuke asked tiredly. He hadn't caught the last part, only something about clothes. If she thought that he was going to go buy her more just because she didn't like what he'd originally gotten her, she was in for a rude awakening.

Sakura steeled herself. "I need more bras and panties."

If Sasuke had been eating or drinking anything at the time, he would have choked. After a minute, he managed, "What?"

The green-eyed girl flushed and punched his shoulder. "I _said_, I need more bras and panties! Don't make me say it again, asshole!"

…Oh God, and he'd thought that shopping for regular clothing had been awkward. He was beginning to greatly regret the surge of compassion that had led him to imprison Sakura and save her from death.

Sasuke was very glad that he was facing away from her. "Hn."

Sakura bit her lip, not quite sure how to respond, so she settled for "Well, thanks, then…" and lying back down on her futon, drawing the blanket up over herself. She'd worry about it tomorrow.

**-x-**

Sakura shot to her feet the next morning when Sasuke threw a pillow at her. "What was that for?" she demanded angrily.

He didn't look at her as he finished tying the knot in his belt. "Be ready to go in half an hour."

Her eyes widened. "Go where?" He didn't answer, and she couldn't help but ask that damnable question. "Go…back to Konoha? Are you taking me home?" Maybe she'd been wrong all along, maybe he really was a good person and just—

"No," he snapped. "We're going into the village. So that you can…go shopping." Then he exited the room.

She choked back her disappointment. _Hope is an awful thing_, she reflected bitterly, _especially when all your hopes rest on Sasuke's humanity_.

And then it hit her that she was about to embark on a bra-shopping expedition with Sasuke. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Half an hour later, she was indeed ready to go. Sasuke returned and examined her from the corner of his eye before advancing and snatching her wrist, tugging her towards the door.

Sakura tried to pull her wrist back. "What are you doing? The door's gonna—"

She cut herself off when she passed through the doorway unharmed. Why hadn't it shocked her…? She looked to Sasuke, confused.

He released her wrist and went left down the hallway. "The shock is canceled when I'm in physical contact with you," he threw over his shoulder.

_Ah_, Sakura mused, storing away the information for future usage. She stood outside Sasuke's room, her gaze darting around her surroundings. They were in a hallway, a few closed doors scattered about—

"Don't even think about trying to escape," came Sasuke's voice, right next to her ear.

She jumped. "I wasn't," she protested defensively.

Sasuke snorted. "Right." He walked behind her from then on.

**-x-**

"Wow…so this is Hatekyo, huh?" Sakura asked rhetorically, her head swiveling this way and that. As far as she could tell, it looked pretty much like any other village. True, there were less people milling about, and the mood was…tense, almost like it was on the brink of something.

Also, many people were staring at Sasuke, but averted their eyes whenever his gaze came their way. Sakura was perplexed by it, but Sasuke appeared unfazed, so she didn't bring it up. Her spirits were high; after being trapped in a single room for so long, just getting out and being able to stretch her legs was great.

The Uchiha directed her to a women's clothing shop (the very same that Sasuke had purchased her clothes from yesterday). Standing outside it, Sasuke placed a large sum of money in her hand. "You have twenty minutes," he informed her. "If you're not out by then, I'm coming to get you. And it will not be pretty."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah." She couldn't help teasing him. "So I take it you're staying outside, then?"

She giggled in response to his glare, and had turned to enter the store when Sasuke mentioned offhand, "By the way, I can track you by your chakra-manacles."

The medic stiffened and turned back. Sasuke was leaning against the outside of the store, his hands in his pockets and his eyes closed, the very picture of nonchalance and repose. The scene reminded her so very much of all those times that they had waited on the bridge for Kakashi that Sakura wanted to punch someone. Instead she gave him the finger and stormed into the shop, slamming the door harder than necessary.

Inside, she mused that while staying in after twenty minutes and forcing Sasuke to enter the store and get her would be interesting, invoking his rage purely for amusement's sake wasn't a particularly wise course of action.

So she briskly collected what she needed and waited in line for the cash register. When it was her turn, the girl running it looked at Sakura, then her purchases, and then directed her gaze at Sasuke, who could be seen outside through the glass window.

She turned back. "So _you're _his girlfriend, huh? I told him that you'd need more than what he got for you."

Sakura blinked. "Um, what?"

The girl laughed, scanning the purchases. "Oh, nothing. It's just, that guy outside – your boyfriend? - came in here yesterday and bought a bunch of clothing, but nothing even vaguely underwear-related. I mentioned it to him, but he just glared at me."

"Oh. Yeah, that sounds like Sasuke. But he's not my boyfriend," Sakura felt it necessary to clear up.

It was the other girl's turn to blink. "Then why was he shopping for you?"

Sakura considered telling the other girl everything and beseeching her to somehow alert Konoha, but instead replied, "It's…complicated."

The attendant smiled slightly, telling Sakura the total amount due (which turned out to be little more than half of what Sasuke had given her). As she was handing Sakura the bag, she shrugged, "Well, it's not like I don't know all about complicated shit. Good luck with him. He seems a bit…tetchy."

Sakura smirked. "That's putting it mildly. Thanks, though." She waved to the other girl and left the store to stand beside Sasuke. "I'm done." She could feel her good mood evaporating as she resigned herself to being shut up in that room again for god-knows-how-long.

Sasuke opened one eye and examined her, noting her slumped shoulders and depressed expression. Was being trapped in that room really that awful? It was for her own good, but she didn't know that. There wasn't anything terribly important that he had to do that day…

"Is there anywhere else you want to go?" he asked.

Sakura stared at him. "What?"

He frowned at her. "You still have money left, right? You can shop or whatever for a few hours."

Sakura raised her eyebrows. "Really?" He shrugged. Sakura was almost tempted to ask if he was feeling okay. He was being uncharacteristically…nice. She smiled. "Thanks." He shrugged again and motioned for her to lead the way.

They wandered from store to store for about two hours; Sakura had never been terribly comfortable with buying things that she didn't need, so she didn't spend any money until they got to the toy store. It was there that she found a deck of Go Fish cards.

She picked them up, beaming. Go Fish had always been her favorite card game when she was younger. She turned to Sasuke, who was standing a few feet away. "Sasuke, if I buy these, will you play with me?" she asked.

He looked at the deck of cards in the small cardboard box, a picture of a cheerful cartoon fish on it. Then he turned his withering gaze on her. "You're kidding."

Sakura shook her head. "C'mon, Sasuke. Or could you at least let Suigetsu into your room so that _he _could play with me?" she tried.

He glared at her and examined his options. The stack of cards was the only thing that Sakura had shown any interest in buying, and he certainly wasn't going to let _Suigetsu_ play with her. He sighed. "I'll play."

She grinned at him and practically skipped to the cash register to pay for it.

**-x-**

When Sakura had finished purchasing her cards, it was around noon, so Sasuke decided that they might as well buy lunch there before heading back. They stopped at a small café near the outskirts of the village.

Seated at a corner table, they ate their food in what was, while not exactly a comfortable silence, at least not an uncomfortable one. Sakura was a bit disconcerted by the attention that Sasuke (and, by association, she herself) was garnering. Some people were eyeing him warily; however, many girls were giggling and sneaking flirtatious glances at him.

_Some things never change_, Sakura sighed internally. She fidgeted, having finished her meal. "Sasuke?"

He glanced up, and she smiled at him. "Thanks." She didn't elaborate, but they both knew.

After a moment his face softened, and Sakura had a feeling that if he had been any other boy, had had any other past but his own, he would have smiled back. Instead he simply nodded and stood. "Stay here." He went up to the counter to pay.

Sakura fiddled with the straw in her glass and was just thinking that Hatekyo really wasn't as bad as she had expected when a couple of men (in ninja garb, she noticed) stumbled in, all clearly stoned. She wrinkled her nose distastefully at them. She _hated _people who abused drugs.

Two of them stood in line to order, but the third cast an unfocused eye around the dining area and staggered towards two civilian girls eating their lunch. He propped himself up on their table and leered at them. "Hey, how 'bout you two come eat with me and my friends over there?" he nodded towards the two men in line.

One cowered while the other said hesitantly, "No thank you, we were just leaving." They tried to get up, but them man blocked their way.

"Don't be like that!" he bade, his eyes shining with something very close to cruelty.

If there was one thing Sakura hated more, however, it was to watch defenseless, innocent bystanders being bullied.

Sakura stood up. "Leave them alone, jackass. They aren't bothering you."

The man slowly turned to her. "And what do we have here?" he drawled. "A little girl who doesn't know her place?"

Sakura sneered at him. "More like a little girl who's going to kick your ass if you keep harassing them." She turned to the two girls, offering them a reassuring smile. "You can leave, it's okay."

They nodded, whispering a 'thank you' as they passed her. The man watched them go before turning back to Sakura. "You know what I hate even more than interfering bitches? Interfering bitches with obnoxious hair!" And with that, he charged at her, fists raised.

_Oh, he did not just go there_, Sakura thought grimly as she slid into a defensive position. Before he could strike her (or attempt to), however, a voice cut in, low and calm. "Don't touch her."

Sakura and the man turned to see Sasuke strolling towards them, his hands in his pockets and his eyes hooded—typical Sasuke behavior. What made Sakura want to take a step was the aura radiating off of him. It made her remember: Sasuke was _dangerous_.

The man was too far gone to notice. "_Another _punk?" he scoffed, readying himself to go at Sasuke.

He was stopped by his friends, who had been attracted by the commotion. "Hey, man, knock it off," one hissed. "Don't you remember? That guy's part of the Akatsuki!"

Sakura flinched. She'd almost forgotten. Sasuke had been so thoughtful, letting her shop and taking her out to lunch…it had been like he had never left the village, had never joined Akatsuki…

The men scurried off and Sasuke stepped closer to Sakura, examining her. "You're okay?" he confirmed.

"Of course I am," Sakura snapped. She shoved by him and stalked out of the café.

Sasuke stared after her. She had been in such a good mood before, but now she was back to treating him like the scum of the earth and he had no idea _why_. He scowled and started after her.

**-x-**

That night, Sakura looked up at Sasuke, who had turned towards her in his sleep. His face was still and beautiful and so achingly _familiar_.

_Don't fool yourself, Haruno_, a nasty voice sniped. _He's not your Sasuke-kun anymore. _

_I know_, she mourned, curling up in a ball, _I know.  


* * *

_**A/N: Is it just me or do Sakura's moods fluctuate _way _too much? -.- I think it's just because Missa's good at writing angry!Sakura and I'm...not. So I make her happy but then eventually force her back to angry because like, she _should _be angry. But like, yeah. That was Becca's tale of woe. I hope you all enjoyed it. Happy Holidays! =) **


	7. Perfidy

**Disclaimer: Thank GOD, no. I would NOT want to be Kishimoto right now. Therefore, I don't own. Comprende?

* * *

**

When Sakura awoke, Sasuke was gone._ Not, of course, _she thought, a tinge of bitterness creeping up inside of her, _that this is something new._

Still, she had woken up with a vague hope that, after his niceness yesterday, he would be there. She thought that, by now, she had learned her lesson about placing her hope on Sasuke, but apparently she was a masochist. Of course, this time she hadn't placed all her hope on Sasuke and his niceness, as she had been wont to do so many years ago, but still, the disappointment always felt the same, no matter what degree of disappointment it was. It seemed that when it came to her roommate, Sasuke and disappointment went hand-in-hand.

Pushing away the remnants of her angry thoughts, Sakura padded softly into the bathroom, hell-bent on taking a shower, considering Sasuke didn't allow her to yesterday. The marble beneath her feet was cold, but Sakura paid it no heed; if she asked Sasuke for rugs, she had the feeling he'd stab her.

Shirking her clothes, Sakura turned the water up high on hot and stepped in. Though the pressure and the heat first initially burned, her skin got used to it after a few seconds, and Sakura leaned her head against the marble wall, closing her eyes.

She had had a dream last night, one that involved forbidden memories—when she was awake, apparently. In her dreams, that stubborn wall she kept up crumbled, leaving her bare and open to her bittersweet past. The dream itself wasn't important, just an inane mission that Team Seven had been forced to bear, but Sakura had woken with her heart racing furiously in her chest and goosebumps raised on her arms.

_If Sasuke had been there when I woke, would he have cared? _she wondered, but the answer she already knew came immediately, and she swallowed, opening her eyes. Her eyes burned, but that, she told herself, was from the heat of the water, which was rapidly cooling. Sakura scrubbed her hair thoroughly, then lathered down her body quickly before turning off the water and grabbing a towel hanging on a rack outside of the shower. It smelled faintly of Sasuke, but she stubbornly pushed that acknowledgment away.

It was then she realized that she hadn't taken any clothes with her, and Sakura paused, mentally slapping herself. Honestly, what if Sasuke was out there?!

Not, of course, that he would do anything (though a tiny part of her disagreed—what if Sasuke had changed more than she thought?), but regardless, it would be _damn _embarrassing to be around Sasuke in nothing but a towel. Squaring her shoulders, Sakura inhaled deeply, forcing herself to be calm, before she cracked the door open a little and stuck her head out. No one was in the room. Breathing a sigh of relief, Sakura walked out of the bathroom and hurried over to the bag that held her clothes. Once she gathered those, she hurried over to the bag that held her (newly bought) underwear. She refused to allow her mind to be brought back to the events of yesterday, grabbing everything she needed before she scampered back into the bathroom.

Once all her clothes were on, Sakura set about to brushing her hair with a brush on the counter of the bathroom sink. She thought that Sasuke might have bought it for her, but didn't dare to raise her hopes. This was, after all things were considered, still _Sasuke_; besides, the image of Sasuke carefully preening his hair into those wayward spikes of his generally reduced her to hysterical fits of laughter and rendered her unable to speak for a good ten minutes. Even now the mental image caused her to grin.

A knock at the door startled the kunoichi from her daydreams, and Sakura blinked. If it had been either Sasuke or Suigetsu they would have just walked in; she hadn't met anyone in this place that was polite enough to knock. Sakura walked out of the bathroom, standing by the doorframe; years of training had not been knocked out of her in the time span that she had been here, and a mental voice reminded her that absolutely _anything _could be used as a weapon.

"Come in," she called, feeling only a slight annoyance at the fact that she couldn't open the door herself. The doorknob turned and a large man entered, carrying a tray. He smiled slightly when he saw her, and Sakura found herself unconsciously relaxing slightly.

"Sakura-san?" His voice was soft, gentle, and he was clearly attempting not to frighten her. It was then that Sakura was aware that she must look like an animal backed into a corner, which might have explained why he had not moved after entering the room. His sheer size must have intimidated normal people, and even Sakura had been mentally sizing him up when he walked through the door. Still, if he was here then he was _clearly _part of the Akatsuki organization.

"How do you know my name?" she inquired cautiously, and the big man before her smiled again; without meaning to, Sakura relaxed. She sensed no ill-intent from the being before her, and besides, if she trusted Suigetsu then she was most certainly capable of trusting the man in front of her.

"Sasuke-san gave it to me, along with this tray of breakfast. He said to tell you that he would be training for the day, so I'll be bringing your food. Is that okay?"

The more he talked, the more Sakura liked him. Absentmindedly, she wondered why he was here (wherever that was); he seemed too nice for such a merciless job. She offered him a sunny smile, pleased when he returned it. "Of course. What's your name?"

"Juugo," he told her, and Sakura smiled again.

"Well then, Juugo, thank you very much for the breakfast."

He smiled, pleased, his cheeks dusted a light red. Sakura couldn't remember the last time she had gotten a guy to blush over something she had said, causing her smile to widen. She couldn't remember the last time she had smiled so much.

"You're welcome, Sakura-san. I'll be back in a little while to collect the tray." Bowing his head in respect, Juugo left. Quirking her lips, Sakura considered the closed door. He was the nicest person she had met so far in this damned hellhole. Shrugging, she pushed Juugo's kindness from her mind and decided to eat; she hadn't realized how hungry she was until he had walked through the door with food.

Juugo had set the tray down on the desk, so she pulled the chair out and began to eat. Eating, such a mechanical, instinctual thing, left her mind free to wander--which it did, and into dangerous territory to boot. Such as: why would Sasuke bother to tell her he was out training? He had never deemed it necessary for her to know where he was before, why now? Was it some kind of threat? Somehow Sakura doubted that, though the only other option was absurd, that Sasuke did it just _because_, and _just because _was the most dangerous.

The door was flung open, and then Suigetsu was lounging against her doorframe, grinning down at her. "Hey there, gorgeous." He winked at her and Sakura snorted into her food.

"Do pick-up lines like that ever actually _work_?" she mused aloud, amusement coloring her voice.

"Nah," Suigetsu admitted casually, "but they're hella fun to say."

Sakura laughed at that, almost choking in the process. The pale-haired man shot her a warning look. "Hey now, careful, 'cause I'll be the main suspect if you die. I have a feeling that Sasuke will kill me slowly, painfully, and unmercifully if I so much as harm a hair on your head; I don't want to think about what'll happen if he believes I _killed _you."

Suigetsu's words brought an uncomfortable reminder of Sakura's inner musings, so she hastily changed the subject. "A man was here, earlier—"

"Cheating on me, Sakura? I'm hurt!"

"—and he said his name was Juugo. Do you know who he was?" Sakura plowed on, ignoring her new friend's playful jibe. Suigetsu grinned easily.

"Juugo? Oh yeah, he's part of the group that Sasuke recruited, one that I was included in."

"Hmm," Sakura hummed thoughtfully. Somehow, she could envision Juugo being powerful, but with his gentle disposition, Sakura didn't think it likely (didn't _want _to think it likely, more like). Still, if Sasuke recruited him, then he _must _have something Sasuke needed.

"He has the curse mark as well. He goes absolutely crazy when he gets into one of his killer moods—kinda frightening, actually—and the only person who can stop him is Sasuke."

Sakura froze. Juugo had the curse mark as well, then? Unwanted, unbidden, her mind conjured up the image of a twelve-year old Sasuke, cursed power spiraling around him, black marks taking up every spare inch of his body, an insane smile alighting his face. Suigetsu must have noticed her tense shoulders, because he called out her name curiously.

At that moment, Sakura wanted nothing more than Naruto to be there with her; Naruto would know how she was feeling, how much that mental image made her hurt inside—the curse mark was what took Sasuke away from them, and started this destructive chain; it was what unleashed the greatest pain Sakura had ever known, and it was almost like Sasuke had been taken from them once again. For a moment, Sakura struggled to breathe, unaware of Suigetsu's curiosity turning to faint panic.

"Sakura? Sakura? Hey, are you alright?"

Sakura nodded her head, feeling emotionally drained. Right then and there, Sakura ached for Naruto more than she had the entire time she was kidnapped.

"I was there when Sasuke got his curse mark," she said quietly, and Suigetsu crouched down next to her stiff figure, staring at her intently. "He screamed so horribly. I thought he was dying." Her dry eyes burned with the ghost of all the tears Sasuke had ever forced her to shed. "When he came to," she did not mention the time frame that he awoken at, that he had woken up when she was in trouble, "he was this creature who was slightly Sasuke, but more Orochimaru's." Sakura swallowed heavily. "That was the beginning of the end."

There was quiet for a few moments. "Sasuke…he meant a lot to you, didn't he?"

Sakura laughed harshly but didn't answer. She had thought that they had meant a lot to Sasuke as well, but she was proven wrong in the cruelest of ways. Her love for him was built on childish fantasies and more lies than she cared to think about. Sasuke left in the end, and that was all that mattered.

"It doesn't matter anymore," she told Suigetsu honestly, standing up. Sasuke had made his choice very clear; she didn't know why Sasuke had kidnapped her, other than for his own sick amusement. It most certainly couldn't be homesickness. Sasuke didn't _do _sentimental, and she had been a fool for ever believing so; after all, look at what he had done to the boy who was practically his brother, whose life he had saved countless of times and then almost taken away just as easily.

Sasuke had turned his back on Team Seven, on Konoha, and his choice, in the end, had decided _all _of their fate. When she got back to Konoha, Sakura was going to have to convince Naruto to give up on trying to drag Sasuke home; they were fighting a battle that could not be won, not when their victory hinged on Sasuke actually caring about them.

Suigetsu studied her minutely, feeling mildly disturbed by how dark Sakura's eyes were. He had, apparently, touched upon a _very _sensitive subject. Still, what else had he expected? Sasuke had been, at one time, a friend; betraying a child with hopes and dreams was worse than betraying an adult, who had such things beaten out of them long ago.

"Hey," he said suddenly, "how was your little shopping excursion with Sasuke yesterday?"

Sakura turned to face him, an eyebrow arched, and he was glad to see her surprise blotting out some of the sadness her eyes held. "How did you know about that?"

He winked at her. "A little birdie told me." By little birdie, he meant Karin screaming and ranting her head off when she found out. Anyone within a fifty mile radius must have heard her. "Find anything interesting?"

Sakura thought about it a moment before brightening. "I got a deck of Go Fish!" she chirped, grinning.

Suigetsu quirked an eyebrow. "Go Fish?" he inquired curiously.

Sakura's grin widened and she began to teach Suigetsu the wonderful dynamics of Go Fish; when Juugo knocked on the door twenty minutes later (with a yelled affirmative for him to enter coming from Sakura), he found the two quite involved in their game--and from the scowl on Sakura's face and the way her eyebrows were drawn in the middle, it appeared she was losing. "She's just a sore loser," Suigetsu informed the big man cheerfully, easily dodging the punch his companion aimed at him.

"Beginner's luck," she growled. Juugo smiled, grabbed the tray, and backed out of the room quietly just as Sakura began to swear at the swordsman and accuse him of cheating. Although he didn't hear what Suigetsu said in reply to that, he _did _hear Sakura's snarl of irritation. Juugo shook his head; baiting Sakura, he was sure, was _not _a good idea. If she had chakra manacles around her wrists of that power, he was pretty sure without them, she had a very good chance of wiping the floor with the sharp-toothed male.

When Juugo came back later, Sakura was sitting on her futon, back pressed to the wall and legs crossed Indian-style, a huge book resting in her lap. "There's no need to knock," she told him, smiling slightly. "No one else bothers."

Juugo shrugged lightly. "It would be rude to not knock, Sakura-san."

Sakura's lips upturned at that; Juugo was like a breath of fresh air around here. Even the knowledge that he had the Cursed Seal couldn't abate her liking him. Not many people around here had manners like Juugo did, and she liked him almost as much as she liked Suigetsu. (When he wasn't kicking her ass in card games, that was. Not, of course, that Sakura would ever admit it, _especially _not to Suigetsu. The man had enough pride for the two of them combined.)

"So how long are you going to deliver me food?" she asked Juugo, who shrugged apologetically.

"I'm not sure, Sakura-san. Sasuke never specified, so I guess it'll be until he asks me to stop." _Ask? More like demand. I don't think Sasuke knows how to ask for _anything, Sakura thought, then snorted quietly to herself.

Juugo gave her a strange look, then smiled slightly to himself and said nothing. Stretching out her legs, Sakura placed her book down carefully on the bed, mentally marking the page she had been at, and sat down at the desk where Juugo had placed the food. She grinned at him and he smiled back before quietly leaving the room.

Sakura ate quickly—she hated to be away from her studies in general, but because now she (quite literally) had nothing else to do, she wanted to get back to it as soon as possible. Gulping down the last of the water, she stood up and folded herself back onto her futon, cracked open her book, and continued to study.

Several hours later, Sakura's brain was revolting against all the information she had crammed into it. Whoops.

Leaning her head back against the cool wall, she closed her eyes, trying to dispel the headache that was currently raging. She was convinced of it now: she _must _be a masochist.

Breathing in deeply through her nose, Sakura decided that she would have to meditate. Not only would it get rid of her headache (there were, of course, _other _ways of getting rid of it, ones that were much simpler, but as she had little access to her chakra, it was impossible) but she hadn't done it in a while, and now was the perfect opportunity to do so.

Crossing her legs once more Indian-style, Sakura focused on relaxing individual parts of her body. It would, of course, be harder without the majority of her chakra, but she was notorious for her tenacity; besides, all she needed to do was find her center and focus on it—for that she didn't exactly need chakra, it just made everything easier.

Swallowing the anger and resentment that flared against Sasuke, Sakura began to calm herself, eyes closed and posture relaxed. She let out a slow, even breath, and focused on carefully wiping her mind blank as well as relaxing her muscles. Once she was sure she was in meditation-mode, she began to focus on her center, leaving everything else behind her.

Sakura had forgotten just exactly how freeing meditation could be.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there, feeling more relaxed than she had in _days_, but the only thing that alerted her when the door opened and someone entered were years of ninja training.

And then a scent made Sakura's eyes snap open. She'd know that smell _anywhere_.

_Blood._

Sakura's relaxation was shot to hell.

Sasuke strode in, unminding of the blood soaking through his shirt. Years she spent training to be a medic kicked in, and Sakura unlocked her legs and stood up in one fluid motion, grabbing onto Sasuke's shirt. He cast her a baleful look, which she ignored.

"You're just going to wrap that up, aren't you?" Sasuke's expression didn't change, but Sakura knew the truth before he could deny it. She gritted her teeth so hard she could hear them creaking. "You're a moron, do you know that?"

Before he had a chance to send back a scathing rebuke, the door burst open and a distraught redhead ran into the room. "Sasuke! You're hurt! Let me—"

Karin caught a sight of Sakura and sneered. "Move aside. This isn't for _little girls _such as yourself."

Sakura visibly stiffened before pasting on a sneer of her own. "Yes, of course, I'm so sorry. It was just so stupid of me not to know that in matters of healing, the resident ho trumps the trained medic. I mean, it's not like I was the Godaime's apprentice or anything. Really, what was I thinking?"

"You're a bitch," the bespectacled woman spit out savagely.

"And you can go get me a bowl, antiseptic, a needle, stitching thread, and some hydrogen peroxide," Sakura responded mildly, finding the argument as good as won.

Karin shot Sakura a nasty look and began to roll up her sleeves. "Why would I do that when I have an effective method of healing right here?" Dark, broken circles littered her skin. Sakura didn't know what the hell they were, but they gave her the creeps.

"No," came Sasuke's voice from behind them. He was seated on his bed, carefully peeling off his shirt. His face was, as always, stoic, but Sakura knew that had to hurt. "Do what Sakura says, Karin."

Karin's face darkened, but she spun on her heel and stomped off to do what Sasuke ordered. Sakura sighed, shaking her head, and went into the bathroom to fetch a washcloth, a towel, soap, and bandages. When she came out, Sasuke was watching her. "I didn't know that you were the Godaime's apprentice."

Sakura raised an eyebrow at him. Sasuke? Initiating conversation? Were the seas turning to blood outside this place?

Sakura settled for shrugging. "After you left, I was forced to grow up," she told him simply. "There's a lot about me that you don't know."

Sasuke didn't reply—not that Sakura expected him to. Instead, she studied his wound, which was still steadily bleeding. "Sit up a little," she instructed him quietly, and placed the towel beneath him to catch some of the blood. The blood already staining his comforter, however, she could do nothing about.

Just then Karin entered with everything Sakura had requested. "Here," she snarled at Sakura, and threw everything onto the bed.

Sakura ignored the dangerous flaring of her temper. "Thank you," she murmured, though she shot the other female a look that had made ANBU quail and babble hasty apologies. "Ready?" she addressed Sasuke, who nodded once.

Sakura knew that she shouldn't be doing this. Sasuke was perfectly capable of taking care of the wound himself, and healing a missing-nin was technically treason to Konoha. Still, taking care of Sasuke (and caring about him) was instinct to Sakura. Too many wishes upon stars had been spent praying for his happiness, for his health, so he could return to them sooner.

There was no denying it: Sakura had _missed _him. Even if she had tried to deny it, bury and trample and discard those long-dormant feelings, her so strived-for apathy fell to pieces when it came to Sasuke.

_You, _she told herself, _are an idiot. _

"I'm going to sit here and make sure you don't poison Sasuke." Karin's obnoxious voice broke through Sakura's thoughts, and the green-eyed girl could hear the _my _before Sasuke's name. _Hah_, Sakura scoffed inwardly.

"I honestly don't care what you do," she remarked to Karin. _Whore_, she added in her mind. Looking at the wound, Sakura got up and filled the bowl with lukewarm water, bringing the soap and washcloth with her. When she returned, she began to clean the dried blood from Sasuke's side, then got to his wound, which was a long, jagged rip. Sakura didn't ask what caused it and Sasuke didn't offer any information. Once she was sure it was clean, she poured some hydrogen peroxide on it, just to make sure. Then she began to stitch the wound closed. If Sasuke was in pain, he didn't show it. Instead, he kept his eyes closed throughout the entire process, but Sakura knew he was hurting.

After the worst was over, Sakura had to bandage his wound. To do that, she needed to reach around him—continuously. She warned this to Sasuke, knowing him and his rather large personal space bubble, but he merely grunted, so Sakura began to bandage his wound. There was no sound from Karin, and when Sakura turned her head, she discovered the redhead was gone. "She left while you were stitching," Sasuke's voice breathed in her ear, and the hair on the back of Sakura's neck raised.

Afraid she would stutter, Sakura merely settled for nodding and continued to bandage his wound firmly. Doing this practically put her in Sasuke's lap, and Sakura prayed to whatever deity was out there that she wasn't blushing. Her fingers, however, were trembling, if only slightly. "I'm sorry about this," she muttered, trying to make herself forget how close she was to Sasuke, so close she could smell sweat mingled with soap and shampoo.

"It's fine," Sasuke responded. Although she couldn't see him, Sakura could _feel _the weight on his stare on top of her head. She bit her lip. Why was he staring at her? Was he trying to make sure she wouldn't mess up? Did he think she didn't know how to do this?

Her hands were still trembling, but this time it was with anger. "Focus, Sakura," Sasuke told her, and she felt his warm breath against her ear again. All her anger went out the window, and Sakura ducked her head down farther.

"Sorry." She said, and tried her best to speed this up, though she was incredibly careful that she was efficiently wrapping the wound. Once she was sure it was bandaged correctly, she ripped off the end, wrapped it around the first bandage of the last round—the one below where it was ripped off—and tied it tightly. "Alright, you're all done." She told him, crawling off the bed and shaking out the ache that had settled in her arms.

"Aa." Sasuke said, looking down at his now-bandaged torso. He grabbed both his bloodied shirt and the towel beneath him soaked with blood and some hydrogen peroxide and tossed them into the hamper in the bathroom. Returning, he grabbed a clean shirt and put it on carefully.

"If you pull those stitches, Sasuke, I'll kill you," Sakura warned him intensely, shaking a finger at him. Sasuke's reply was to smirk.

"Have you had dinner yet?" he asked, and Sakura blinked.

"No." He nodded and left abruptly. Sakura raised an eyebrow, then shook her head. Walking over to her futon, she sighed heavily and leaned her head back against the cool wall. Sasuke's body had been littered with scars, some long, some short, some clearly clean-cuts, and the list went on. Sakura could name every mission that Naruto had gotten a scar on—hell, she could probably say who was on the team at the time. She couldn't, however, say where Sasuke got his own scars from.

Truth hurts.

* * *

**A/N—Hey, guys! Sorry for the long wait—my life has been SUPER hectic. As an apology, this chapter is over 4,000 words, which is longer than what Becca and I usually write. I, unfortunately, am going to be more than busy for a while, so I'm not quite sure when chapter 9 (remember, Becca writes the even chapters, I write the odds) will come out. Hopefully before school ends, but we'll have to see, since I have HSPA in a week and a half my road test for my license in April, and SAT's in May. After that I need to study for finals. If you guys luck out, I might be able to release chapter 9 right before SAT's.**

**Also, just a little tidbit: perfidy, for those of you who don't know, means treachery or betrayal. **

**Don't forget to leave a review!  
**


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